View full sizeDale Horner of Reading, 74, and Dave Shannon of Fayetteville, 72, were dining at the Market Cross Pub and Brewery in dowtown Carlisle on April 23, 2014. Both were attending Spring Carlisle Car Show.
JULIA HATMAKER | jhatmaker@pennlive.com

Spring Carlisle Collector Car Swap Meet, Corral and Auction officially kicked off on April 23, but the main events begin today April 24 and carry on until Sunday, April 27.

The event is one of the biggest car shows in central Pennsylvania and takes place on the Carlisle Fairgrounds. Tickets are $30 for the entire event, or $10 per day.

It's more than just a car show though, for Dale Horner, 74, of Reading.

"A visit here is a full experience," he said. "If you're into cars, you'll find just about anything you could want for a car. The food is good, the facilities are good. You can't beat it."

We asked Horner and his friend Dave Shannon, 72, of Fayetteville to share five things you need to know before going to Spring Carlisle.

1. It's about the people.

When asked what part of Spring Carlisle he was most looking forward to, Shannon replied "renewing old friendships and kindling new ones."

It's easy to form friendships too. "People are themselves here," Horner said, describing how people don't have to worry about what others may think of them because they're strangers to Carlisle.

When asked what he was looking to buy, Shannon replied "something I don't have and I'm not sure what that is," Horner agreed, "It's one of those things where you don't know what it is, but as soon as you find it you'll know."

There's also more than just the flea market. Spring Carlisle features a collector car auction as well as a Hot Rodders of Tomrorow competition - in which high school students tear down and build an engine as accurately and quickly as possible.

"One of the attractions for this show, compared to the others, is that the food available here is all really good quality," Horner said. He recommends the sugar cinnamon pretzels. "You have to have those," he said. "It's the law."

"You get a cinnamon sugar pretzel and a cup of coffee and that'll keep you going for three hours," he went on.

You'll want to explore every nook and cranny of the show, which spans the entirety of the fairgrounds - all 150 acres. Bob Shelton, 72, of Ohio was at Spring Carlisle for the first time this year and described how he spent his first day at the car show walking for roughly seven hours, just checking out everything that people had to offer.